Transfer car



0d. 4, 1949.. w. E. EHINGER 2,483,817

TRANSFER CAR Filed Oct. 29, 1943 Get. 4, 1949. w. E. EHINGER TRANSFERCAR 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 29, 1945 he J/ZZIIZEZkg er 0a. 4, 1949.w, E, EHmGEg 2,483,817

' TRANSFER CAR Filed Oct. 29; 1943 I 4 Shee tsSheet 4 Patented Oct. 4,1949 PATENT OFFICE.

TRANSFER CAR.

William E. Ehinger, Tiflln, Ohio, assignor to Webster Manufacturing,Inc.-, Tiffin, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 29,1943'; Serial No. 5118;271

Claims,

This invention relates in general to a transfer car and is moreparticularly described as a medium for moving a furnace car into and outof ovens or furnaces on one or both sides of the path of movement of thetransfer car. The car comprises a wheeled truck movable along rails atright angles to the rails leading to the ovens or furnaces. It carries apair of laterally spaced rails extending transversely of the transfercar adapted when aligned with the furnace rails to permit movement of afurnace car from one to the other. 7

The invention comprises mechanism mounted on the truck of the transfercar between the rails for the furnace car reciprocabl'e either to pull afurnace car from the furnace rails upon the truck or to push a furnacecar from the truck of the transfer car upon the furnace rails.

An important object of the invention is to provide a mechanism locatedupon and operated entirely from a transfer car for pushing a furnace carfrom the transfer car into an oven at right angles to the direction ofmovement of the transfer car and to pull a furnace car from such an ovenupon the transfer car.

A further object of the invention is to provide shiftable rack and latchmechanism mounted upon and operated from a transfer car which may beshifted, withdrawn, and again projected to cause a complete movementof afurnace car from the transfer car and completely into an oven or furnaceat the side of. thetransfer car, and also to engage and remove a furnacecar from within a furnace and to position it upon the transfer car.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means foreffecting a step by step shifting; movement of a car'to or from atransfer car controlled entirely from the transfer car.

A further object of the invention is to provide a transfer car withreversible motive means for propelling the car in either direction alongits tracks and also to reciprocate the mechanism for moving a furnacecar in either direction with respect to the transfer car and at rightangles to its direction of movement.

A stillvfurther object of the invention is to provide improved latchmeans on the transfer car. for controlling the rack shifting mechanismfor a furnace car.

Another object of the invention is to provide atransfer car which isgenerally of new and improved construction and is characterized bysimplicity of design as-well as easeandfaci-lity of manufacture andoperation.

Other objects of the invention andvarious ad (Cl. ion- 2 vantages andcharacteristics of the present trans fer car will be apparent from aconsideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel 5 features of constructionwhich are hereinafter described and more particularly defined by claimsat the conclusion hereof. I

In the drawingswhich accompany and form a part of this specification ordisclosure, and in which l-ikeletters and numerals of reference denote"corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating a transfer car in accordance withthis: invention movable upon rails at right angles to ovens at bothsides thereof. having rails which terminate at the sides ofthe transfercar and match with the ends of transverse rails on the transfer car;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the lay out in Figure1i1lustrating1the way a furnace car is moved 'into a furnace atone sidethereof;

Figure. 3" is an enlarged plan view of the transfer car with partsbrokenaway for illustrating the operating parts;

Figure 4 is a. sectional view illustrating the clutch andoperatingmechanism as taken upon line 44' o-f'Fi'gure 5;

Figure..5 is. a sectional view illustrating the sh-iftable rack andlatch mechanism for moving a furnace car;

Figure 6. shows the rack and latch mechanism in a partially shiftedposition;

Figure 7 illustrates the latch mechanism in an intermediate position;and

Figure 8' is. a detailed sectional view of the rack and latch mechanismas taken on the line 8--8 of Figure 7.

In accordance with this invention, a rack mechanism is provided with apair of pivoted latches which may be swung to engage with projections onthe bottom of a furnace car to push or pull the furnace car from thetransfer car, and also to shift the-rack into apos-ition whereitprojects away fromand beyond the transfer car and underlies thefurnace car. The rack may then be shifted back in orderito cause anotherengagement of the latch mechanism with a furnace car in order that itmay be projectedand controlled at; afurther distance beyond the sideofthe transfer car both in removing the furnace: car

from the transfer car into an oven or furnace at the: side-thereof andto engage the near end of a" furnace? car at a further distance from thetransfer'car'inipulling it from an-oven or furnace anctmoving it ontosthe transfer can A number of furnace cars are provided for:

movement by the transfer car into and from the ovens or furnaces. Aloaded furnace car is moved by the transfer car until the rails l5 andlb of any oven or furnace register with each other whereupon the furnacedoor is raised and the loaded caris shifted from the transfer car intothe furnace.

After the furnace operation, a

furnace car is removed therefrom by the transfer car which is thenbodily moved upon its rails l2 to move the furnace car to some otherlocation.

A furnace car I! is mounted upon flanged wheels l8 which engage thetransfer car rails l5 and at the bottom of this car are a number ofchannelled crosspieces I9 for strengthening the car, but which alsoprovide means for engagement of the car for moving it to and from thetransfer car; r

In order to operate the transfer car in either direction, an electricmotor 28 is connected through a reduction drive 2| and a belt connection22 with a driving shaft 23. A coupling member 24 is splined to the shaftintermediate its ends, and is movable in opposite directions from acentral position by a lever 25 having a pivot 26 at the under side ofthe car and a yoke with opposite pins 21 engaging a groove 28 in acollar 29. Mounted at the inner end of the shaft 23 is a bevel gear 30having a clutch member 3| at the opposite end to engage with acooperating clutch member 32 at one end of the coupling 24, the gearmeshing with a bevel gear 33 secured to a cross shaft 34 connected toopposite wheels H of the transfer car.

Near the other end of the shaft 23 is a pinion 35 meshing with a gear 36mounted on a counter shaft 31 extending toward the center of thetransfer car. Connected to the pinion 35 is a clutch member 38 adaptedto cooperate with the clutch member 39 at the adjacent end of thecoupling 24. At the inner end .of counter shaft 31 is a rack pinion 40,for operating the furnace car.

When the lever 25 moves the coupling member 24 toward the bevel gear 30connecting the clutch elements 3| and 32, the transfer car is driven ineither direction depending upon the direction of rotation of the motor25; when the clutch lever 25 moves the coupling member 24 in theopposite direction, 'interengaging the clutch elements 38 and 33, thepinion 25 is then connected to rotate with the shaft 23 for driving thecountershaft 3! and the rack pinion in either direction for moving thefurnace car.

When the lever 25 is moved in the direction to operate the furnace carin either direction, it is desirable to provide a locking means forpreventing a furnace car from movement laterally of the transfer carwhile it is in motion. A car locking strip 4| is therefore located nearthe outer side of the adjacent car rail l6, and has two projections 42and 43 near one end and adapted to overlie the rail l6 when moved inthat direction and to be positioned .on opposite sides of the wheel of afurnace car supported by the rails I6 so that the furnace car cannotmove in either direction beyond its engagement with these projections.At the other end of the strip is a pivot 44 extending through the plateor deck of the transfer car, and intermediate the ends of the strip is abar 45 connected at one end by a pivot 46 to the clutch operating lever25 and at the other end connected to the strip by a fastening bolt 41.The operation of the lever 25 to move the transfer car in eitherdirection will cause the projections 42 and 43 to be projected acrossthe track IS on either side of a furnace car wheel therebetween. Betweenand extending longitudinally of tracks I6 is a rack and latch mechanismcomprising spaced channels 50 with the webs turned outwardly at the topof the transfer car and having flanged rollers 5| extending inwardly atintervals. An inverted channel bar 52 is mounted between the rollers 5|and has angle bars 53 secured to itsouter side ends and engaging belowthe rollers 5|.

Depending from the channels 50 at the same intervals as the rollers 5|are plates 54 which support rollers 55 extending between the oppositeplates 54 and engaging the lower edges .of the angle bars 53 oppositethe engagement of the rollers 5|. Thus the inverted channel 52 ismounted between the spaced rollers 5| and 55 for rolling movement ineither direction. In order to move the channel 52 in this manner, it isprovided at the inside with rollers 56 at spaced intervals to engagebetween the teeth of the pinion 45, to. form therewith a-rack and pinionwhich may be moved in either direction by the rotation of thecountershaft 31. I

. Mounted on top .of the rack channel 52 near each end is an upwardlyextending bracket 51 and at each side thereof in which a latch 58 isrotatable on a pivot 59, each latch comprises a plate bent at rightangles and the pivot at the inside thereof with a cross bar 60 at eachside joining the angular extremities. The two latches at opposite endsof the channel 52 are connected at the sides by angle bars 6| connectedto the crosspieces 60 by pivots 62. These latches are positioned forconnection in the same direction as shown more clearly in Figure 6 andmay be rotated together to the other position at therefrom asshown bythe broken outline in Figure 6 and also to an intermediate position asshown in Figure '7. In the intermediate position, the latches will befree from engagement with crosspieces Id at the underside of the furnacecar, but in either upright position they will engage the crosspieces. Topush the furnace car to the right in Figure 6, the latches are in theposition shown by full lines, but to pull the furnace car in the reversedirection, the latches would first be moved free from engagement withany crosspiece I9 and then the latches would be rotated to the brokenline position, and if the left latch did not engage one of thecrosspieces I9, the right end latch would engage one of the crosspieces.

' In order to withdraw the rack and latch mechanism without moving thecar, or to advance it under the car, the latch mechanism is turned tothe intermediate position as shown in Figure 7 whereupon the latches andthe bars 6| will move freely under the crosspiece I9. To operate thelatches, a lever 63 is mounted upon a cross shaft 64 at the bottom ofthe transfer car. The lever is located at one side of the car near theclutch control lever 25 and the shaft is suitably mounted to provide asupport for arms 65 extending upwardly at the insides of plates 66 whichare agesaw secured to the inner sides of channels. 50. andeachhavingrapivot 61 at itsupper end to which one end of a link 68 isconnected. The other endof the? link is connected by apivot 69 with thelower end, ofa. latch lever 'ifihavingv an intermediate pivot H alsosecured to the supporting plate and having an angular projection l2 atits upper end adapted to engage below the lower webofthe angle bar 6|:which connects the latches 58- at that side. In the intermediateposition. of thelever, as shown in Figure '7, the bars 61 are-raised,turning the latches 58. to the intermediate position, and when the lever63 is moved to its limiting position at either side of the centralposition, it turns the latches in a corresponding direction and the sideface of the angular end 1-2 engages the underside of the bar holding; itin that position. This latch mechanism has the advantage that it may bemoved by manual engagement of the latches themselves or kicked over byfoot, and also may be operated by the lever 53 which is located on thetransfer car at the operators station.

A car looking shaft id is mounted to extend transversely through theopposite sides of the car with the extremities mounted in bearings 75projecting from the sides. of the car, and the shaft'is longitudinallymovable by means of a lever l6 pivoted at its lower end in the transfercar and engaging the shaft above the lower end so that the movement ofthe lever in either direction projects the shaft from the correspondingside of the car. For each position in which the oven or furnace tracks 5are aligned with the transfer car tracks [6, there isa receiving socketEl secured in fixed position at the side of the tracks I2. to receivethe projected end of the shaft and to hold the transfer car in positionwhere the tracks [5 and IE will be aligned for that particular oven orfurnace.

At the operators station on the transfer car, and extending along theside parallel with the tracks is is a heat shielding partition 83 whichmaybe of sheetmetal' or any heat resisting material and protects theoperator of a transfer car when the furnace car contains hot castings orother materials which are to be inserted into or removed from the ovensor furnaces.

A-n operator's platform 8| is usually provided at one corner of thetransfer car where all of the operating levers and switches are located.A reversing switch 82 is provided for operating the motor 28 in reversedirections, and a line starter switch 83 may be provided for makingelectrical connections from a, suitable source of supply to thereversing switch for the motor. Thus all of the controlling levers aremounted within easy reach of an operator at the station, the transfercar may be connected for movement in either direction on its tracks 12;the transfer car is locked in place for any oven rails !5 by the lockingshaft l4 and a furnace car on the transfer car is moved from the carinto the oven or from the oven into the car by the latch and rackmechanism.

A transfer car containing a loaded furnace car may be moved in eitherdirection along the tracks 22 by connecting the driving motor 2t throughthe clutch connection to the drive wheels H and operating the motor inthe proper direction by means of electric switches 32 and 83. When thetransfer car reaches the desired position so that its tracks I8 are inalignment with they corresponding tracks f5 of anv oven or furnace at.either side v of the track,. the locking shaft 7.4, is: projected toenga e a. receiving socket, 7;". In this position the locking strip 4!and itsproyjections- 42 and 43, are withdrawn. by the operation of lever25; which controls the movement of coupling, member 24 so that when thedriving motor 251' is connected thereby to operate countershaft 31', ineither direction, the pinion 410 will drive the'rackbar 52 in eitherdirection according to the direction of rotation of the drivzing motor20.

To move a furnace car in one direction, the latches 58 are turned:upwardly in one direction either by manually operating them or theconnecting angle bar 6:! or by operating the lever 63 at the operatorsstation. In projecting a furnace car from a transfer car, it is movedabout half of the length of the rack bar and then the latches 58 areturned downwardly to either intermediate position where. they will notengage the cross pieces of the furnace car. The rack bar is then movedin the reverse direction approximately the full length. of the rack barif desired. The latches are then turned upwardly in the same directionas before and the rack bar is again projected. in the first directionuntil one of the latches engages one of the cross pieces F9 for furthermoving the furnace car into one of the ovens or furnaces at the side ofthe transfer car.

In removing a furnace car from an oven or furnace and loading it uponthe transfer car, the above operation is reversed; that is, the rack baris first projected. from one side-of the transfor car with the latches58 in intermediate position until the outermost latch is extended underthe outer edge of the furnace car. The latch is then turned up in theproper direction to engage the outer cross piece [9 of the furnace carso that when the rack bar is withdrawn, the furnace car will be engagedby the latch and moved in the direction of the furnace car. Thus it isnecessary to move the rack bar and latch mechanism beckward and forwardat least twice in pushing or pulling a furnace car off of and on to atransfer car. The same motor which is used for propelling the transfercar, also operates the rack mechanism for pushing and pulling a furnacecar, and all operations as set forth, may be controlled from theoperator's station and platform on the furnace car.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details setforth, since these may be modified w thin the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is: v

1. The combination with a transfer car having tracks to register withoven tracks at the sides thereof, of a furnace car movable on saidtracks, rack and. latch mechanism carried by the transfer car andmovable directly together to engage the furnace car to propel it to andfrom the transfer car, a driving motor on the transfer car, furnace carlocking mechanism comprising projectionsv movable across the furnace cartracks on opposite sides of one of the wheels, and a clutch mechanism onthe transfor car for connecting the driving motor with the rackmechanism and including operating means also connected with said lockingmechanism for removing the projections in connecting the driving motorto operate the rack mechanism.

2. The combination with a transfer car having tracks to register withoven tracks at the sides thereof, of a furnace car carried by thetransfer car and movable on said tracks, a rack, and latch mechanismcarried by the rack for direct movement therewith and comprising anangular latch having arms of equal length and pivoted to the rack at theapex of the angle to swing in a vertical plane and movable from anintermediate position free from engagement with the under side of thefurnace car into either one of two positions with one of the arms toengage the under side of the furnace car and propel said furnace car inone direction or the other from the transfer car depending upon theposition of the latch.

3. A transfer car having tracks to register with oven tracks at thesides thereof, a furnace car movable on said tracks and havingprojections at the under side thereof, a rack mounted for endwisemovement on the transfer car and supported at all times solely by thetransfer car so that either and may project freely therefrom, and latchmechanism carried by the rack and movable below the furnace car in thepath of movement of said projections, said mechanism comprising a pairof angular latches located at the ends of the rack, connected togetherfor joint movement, embodying angularly disposed arms of equal lengthand provided between the apices of the arms and the rack, and movablefrom an intermediate position in which all of the arms thereof are freefrom engagement with the projections to an angular position at eitherside thereof in which at least one of the latches will have one armthereof projecting to engage at least one of the projections of thefurnace car for moving the furnace car to or from the trans fer car.

4. In a transfer car, the combination with tracks adapted to registerwith oven tracks at the sides thereof and a movable rack and latchmechanism carried directly together by the transfer car and comprising arack bar supported solely and at all times by the transfer car so thateither end is capable of projecting therefrom, a pinion engaging therack bar and rotatable in opposite directionsyand pivoted angularlatches carried by the rack bar, having arms of equal length and pivotsbetween the apices of the arms and the ends of the rack, and movable inthe direction of movement of the rack from an upright limiting positionof one angular side to an opposite upright limiting position of theother angular side at right angles thereto for engaging and propelling afurnace car depending upon the direction of the movement of the rack.

5. In a transfer car of the class described, a movable rack mechanismcomprising a rack bar having spaced projections, a pinion rotatable inopposite directions and engaging the projections for moving the bar,rollers upon which the rack bar is movable in the transfer car,projections at the sides of the rack bar, and upper rollers mounted inthe transfer car above said rack bar for confining the rack bar betweenthe upper and lower rollers, the rack bar being mounted for endwisemovement on and supported solely by the transfer car so that either endmay project therefrom and movable latch mechanism carried for directmovement with the rack bar, the latches being angular and pivoted at theends of the rack bar.

6. A transfer car of the class described, having a movable rack andlatch mechanism, said rack comprising a channel bar and spaced supportsbetween which it is movable, supporting rollers for the rack bar at thebottom of the spaced supports, lateral projections at the sides of thechannel bars, rollers mounted upon the spaced supports and projectinginwardly therefrom above the lateral projections at the sides of thechannel bar for holding the channel bar for movement between the upperand lower rollers, the rack being supported solely by the transfer carat all times so that either end may project therefrom, a pinion forengaging the rack bar and moving it in either direction, angular latchespivoted at the upper side of the channel bar, having arms of equallength and each pivoted at one end of the rack bar in the apex of theangle, and having a connecting bar for operating them in unison, andmeans for engaging the connecting bar for moving and holding the latchesin an intermediate nonengaging position and in either one of two angularlimiting positions with one extremity projecting in engaging position.

'7. In a transfer car, a rack and latch mechanism movable transverselyin the transfer car, said mechanism comprising a rack bar mountedbetween upper and lower confining rollers, the rack bar being mountedfor endwise movement on and supported solely by the transfer car so thateither end may project therefrom, a pinion for operating the rack bar inopposite directions, a pair of angular pivoted latches at opposite endsof the rack bar, each comprising arms of equal length and pivotallymounted in the apex of the angle to swing in the vertical plane of thebar, a connecting bar for operating the latches in unison, a latch leverhaving an angular extremity to engage under the connecting bar forholding it and the latches in an intermediate non-engaging position andhaving opposite angular sides for moving the connecting bar and holdingthe latches with the extremities projecting in either one of two uprightangular limiting engaging positions.

3. In a transfer car, a movable rack and latch mechanism for propellinga furnace car to and from the transfer car and comprising a rack barmounted for a horizontal rolling movement between upper and lower sidesof rollers in the transfer car, the rack being mounted for endwisemovement on and supported solely by the transfer car so that either endmay project therefrom, a pinion for operating the rack bar in eitherdirection, a pair of triangular latches pivoted at the upper side at theends of the rack bar, each latch having arms of equal length pivoted tothe rack bar at the apex of the triangle to swing in the vertical planeof the bar connecting bars at the sides of the latches for operatingthem in unison, and means for remotely operating the latches from thetransfer car comprising a hand lever connected to a shaft and havingarms connected by links to pivoted levers, the pivoted levers havingtriangular end projections adapted to engage under the lower edges ofthe said connecting bars, the operation of the hand lever moving thesaid projections from a central position in which the connecting barsare raised and the latches are moved to an intermediate non-engagingposition, and the hand lever being movable in either direction from saidcentral position to move the latches accordingly into angular limitingpositions with one side projecting and the other resting upon the rackbar, one limiting position being at right angles to the other, and inthe limiting positions the latches being adapted to engage and propel atransfer car depending upon the direction of movement of the rack bar.

9. The combination with a transfer car having tracks to register withoven tracks at the side thereof, of a furnace car movable on saidtracks, a movable rack mounted for endwise movement on and supported atall times solely by the transfer car and adapted to have one end projecttherefrom, and a right angled latch at the top of each end of the rackfor engaging the furnace car and having arms of equal length and pivotedto the rack at the apex of the angle to swing in a vertical plane andclearing the bottom of the furnace car midway of its swinging position.

10. The combination with a transfer car having a motor for propelling itin opposite directions, of a furnace car carried by the transfer car andmovable transversely of its path of movement, a movable rack, a latchmechanism at the top of each end of the rack for engaging the bottom ofthe furnace car for moving it relatively 10 to the transfer car, thelatch mechanism comprising a right angled latch at each end of the rackwith arms of equal length pivoted to the rack at the apex to swing in avertical plane and clearing the bottom of the furnace car in its midposition, and a bar connecting the latches at the ends of the rack forjoint movement.

WILLIAM E. EHINGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS-

